Site History

Although Federation Square's history is short, the site upon which it stands has a long and fascinating past.

Review the fascinating full history of this iconic site, written by History Professor Andrew Brown May, University of Melbourne. Click here to download the history of the site (also at the bottom of this page).

A recent history of the development of Federation Square

The development of Federation Square essentially began in the mid 1990s as part of the Jolimont Rail Yard rationalisation project that reduced the railway lines running parallel to the Yarra River from a total of 53 lines to 12, an initiative made possible by improved railway technologies and the relocation of space-consuming shunting operations to more outer-lying locations in Melbourne.

Part way through this project, the Victorian State Government, in association with the Melbourne City Council, commenced looking at the concept of developing a square over the rail lines. A prerequisite was the removal of the infamous 'Gas and Fuel' towers, two universally disliked buildings that had long exacerbated the physical divide of the city and its river. This initiative opened up the prospect of a larger, more ambitious project, which ultimately led to the decision by the State Government and the Council to initiate Federation Square and establish an international design competition to determine its appearance and layout.

The international architectural design competition announced by the then Premier Jeff Kennett in 1996 for this site north of Princes Bridge and bounded on one side by Flinders Street and the other side by the Yarra River, was the beginning of Melbourne's Federation Square. The seven-member judging panel, chaired by Professor Neville Quarry, announced that Lab architecture studio (then based in London) and Bates Smart Architects (Melbourne) had won the job and praised their winning design: 'The winning scheme draws its inspiration from the unique urban characteristics of Melbourne's arcades and lanes and transforms these elements into a new form of organisation, celebrating the city'.

Federation Square was to become a new centre of cultural activity for Melbourne - the long-awaited large, open public civic destination. Lab architecture studio saw their design as one of 'difference and coherence' bringing together distinct elements and activities while maintaining a visual and formal coherence. They believed it reflected the true spirit of federation - independent identities combining to form a larger whole.

The architect's initial Federation Square plan integrated civic spaces, a transport hub, tourist and civic facilities. Buildings and open space defined a precinct stretching from Swanston Street to Melbourne Park, distinguished by a number of features:

a large irregularly shaped city square (or piazza)
a piazza to be known as St Paul's Court, facing north and creating a sunny sheltered area for al fresco dining, street theatre and music
a building complex along the Flinders Street frontage, providing gallery space, performance space and facilities for cafes
a building complex above and over the Russell Street extension, to house the then Cinemedia (now ACMI), centre multimedia facilities and offices
a glass 'wintergarden' atrium slicing through the two major building complexes, complete with rainforest and desert greenhouses
a free-standing restaurant, and a free-standing viewing tower.

Subsequently Federation Square evolved to include a venue to exhibit the National Gallery of Victoria's Australian Art Collection, the adaptation of the originally envisaged 'wintergarden' into more of a galleria and indoor amphitheatre and considerably more commercial tenancies and uses, including a function centre.

Design Competition

The selection of architects for Federation Square was based on an open, international, two-stage design competition, which demanded the design of a new civic square capable of accommodating up to 20,000 people in an open-air amphitheatre. In addition, the project included cultural and commercial buildings, on a 3.8ha block to be built above the Jolimont railyards. The rationalisation of the Jolimont railyards, the demolition of the universally despised Gas and Fuel Towers, and the celebration of Australia's Centenary of Federation, provided the impetus for the completion of this important project.

There was a large response to the competition, 177 entries eventually being received, of which 41 were from overseas - including 18 from the UK and 6 from the USA.

Lab architecture studio, based in London at the time, produced one of the five plans shortlisted at the end of the first stage and, in order to proceed further with the competition, it formed a partnership with Bates Smart, one of Melbourne's most prominent firms of architects.

In July 1997, Lab architecture studio, in conjunction with Bates Smart, were awarded the design contract for Federation square. Lab architecture relocated their office to Melbourne and undertook the complex task of designing arguably Australia's most ambitious civic and cultural precinct.

History of the Site (444 KB)
History of the Site - Flinders and Swanston Streets, Melbourne